Efficient approaches to testing VHDL DSP models

Generation of test benches for large DSP behavioral models is a complicated, labor intensive task. Also, tests generated manually satisfy no formal definition of completeness. To address these needs, high level approaches to test bench development are employed which relieve the modeler of the details of this task. High level design tools are used to develop the test bench VHDL code. The test bench code models sensors which drive the Model Under Test (MUT). Data files which can also drive the MUT are prepared by environmental data generators. The system specification values are linked to the testbench via requirements capture tools and test plans. Intelligent interfaces are used to control the development and simulation of the test bench. The approach is applicable to the testing of any DSP system modeled in the VHDL language. It provides the modeler with the capability to rapidly test DSP models and adjust the model test environment to frequent changes in system requirements.Material in this paper was previously presented at the 1 st Annual RASSP Conference, Arlington, Virginia, August 16, 1994, at the 2nd Annual RASSP Conference, Arlington, VA, July 1995, and at the Spring 1995 VHDL International Users Forum in San Diego, CA.     

Noninvasive, in utero imaging of mouse embryonic heart development with 40-MHz echocardiography

BACKGROUND: The increasing number of transgenic and targeted mutant mice with embryonic cardiac defects has resulted in the need for noninvasive techniques to examine cardiac structure and function in early mouse embryos. We report the first use of a novel 40-MHz ultrasound imaging system in the study of mouse cardiac development in utero. METHODS AND RESULTS: Transabdominal scans of mouse embryos staged between 8.5 and 13.5 days of gestation (E8.5 to E13.5) were obtained in anesthetized mice. Atrial and ventricular contractions could be discerned from E9.5, and changes in cardiac morphology were observed from E9.5 to E13.5. Hyperechoic streaming patterns delineated flow through the umbilical, vitelline, and other major blood vessels. Diastolic and systolic ventricular areas were determined by planimetry of the epicardial borders, and fractional area change was measured as an index of contractile function. Significant increases in ventricular size were documented at each stage between E10.5 and E13.5, and the ability to perform serial imaging studies over 3 days of embryonic development is described. Finally, the detection of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) homozygous null mutant embryos demonstrates the first example of noninvasive, in utero analysis of cardiac structure and function in a targeted mouse mutant. CONCLUSIONS: We used 40-MHz echocardiography to identify key elements of the early mouse embryonic cardiovascular system and for noninvasive dimensional analysis of developing cardiac ventricles. The ability to perform serial measurements and to detect mutant embryos with cardiac defects highlights the usefulness of the technique for investigating normal and abnormal cardiovascular development.     

Genomic amplification of a decoy receptor for Fas ligand in lung and colon cancer

Fas ligand (FasL) is produced by activated T cells and natural killer cells and it induces apoptosis (programmed cell death) in target cells through the death receptor Fas/Apol/CD95. One important role of FasL and Fas is to mediate immune-cytotoxic killing of cells that are potentially harmful to the organism, such as virus-infected or tumour cells. Here we report the discovery of a soluble decoy receptor, termed decoy receptor 3 (DcR3), that binds to FasL and inhibits FasL-induced apoptosis. The DcR3 gene was amplified in about half of 35 primary lung and colon tumours studied, and DcR3 messenger RNA was expressed in malignant tissue. Thus, certain tumours may escape FasL-dependent immune-cytotoxic attack by expressing a decoy receptor that blocks FasL.     

Dendroclimatic response of Picea jezoensis along an altitudinal gradient in Changbai Mountains

We investigated the effects of climate on Yeddo spruce (Picea jezoensis) radial growth along altitudinal gradients in the subalpine forests of Changbai Mountains using dendroclimatic analyses. Yeddo spruce at its lower and upper distribution limits was more sensitive to the climate. Despite precipitation being generally considered sufficient, we found that precipitation significantly affected Yeddo spruce radial growth. Yeddo spruce at its lower distribution limit was much more affected by precipitation while Yeddo spruce at its upper distribution limit was much more affected by minimum temperature. Yeddo spruce at its medial altitude was affected by sunshine ratio. These results demonstrated that climate affected Yeddo spruce growth differently depending on its altitudinal distributions in the Changbai Mountains. Both temperature and precipitation in the annualization period significantly correlated with Yeddo spruce radial growth. However, warmer signals were not reflected in radial growth trend during the past 20 years because annual total precipitation declined during the same period. It appeared that the climate affected tree rings growth by altering soil moisture availability.

     

Kinetics of scrap melting in liquid steel

The melting rate of steel bars with various sizes, shapes, and initial temperatures in a 70 kg liquid steel bath (1650 °C) was measured to investigate the kinetics involved in steel scrap melting. Our measurements revealed that a solidified shell was formed around the original bar immediately after it was immersed into the liquid steel. This shell and an associated interfacial gap generated between it and the original bar were found to be critical to the melting kinetics. We also found that the total melting time decreased linearly with increasing initial bar temperature. The melting process was simulated using a two-dimensional phase-field model that considered heat convection with a constant heat-transfer coefficient. Our simulations were in good agreement with our experiments and showed that the heat conduction associated with the interfacial gap was one of the most important physical aspects controlling the melting of steel scrap.     

Chimeric constructs between human and rat equilibrative nucleoside transporters (hENT1 and rENT1) reveal hENT1 structural domains interacting with coronary vasoactive drugs

We have recently isolated cDNAs from human placenta and rat jejunum encoding the prototypic human and rat equilibrative nitrobenzylthioinosine (NBMPR)-sensitive nucleoside transporters hENT1 and rENT1. The two proteins (456 and 457 residues, Mr 50,000) are 78% identical in amino acid sequence and contain 11 potential transmembrane segments (TMs) with a large putative extracellular loop between TMs 1 and 2 and a large cytoplasmic loop between TMs 6 and 7. When expressed in Xenopus oocytes, recombinant hENT1 and rENT1 transport both purine and pyrimidine nucleosides, including adenosine, and are inhibited by nanomolar concentrations of NBMPR. hENT1 is also potently inhibited by coronary vasodilator drugs (dipyridamole, dilazep, and draflazine), whereas rENT1 is insensitive to inhibition by these compounds (dipyridamole IC50 values 190 nM (hENT1) and >/=10 microM (rENT1) at 10 microM uridine). In the present study, we have generated reciprocal chimeras between hENT1 and rENT1, using splice sites at residues 99 (end of TM 2) and 231 (end of TM 6), to identify structural domains of hENT1 responsible for transport inhibition by vasoactive compounds. Transplanting the amino-terminal half of hENT1 into rENT1 converted rENT1 into a dipyridamole/dilazep-sensitive transporter, whereas the amino-terminal half of rENT1 rendered hENT1 dipyridamole/dilazep-insensitive. Domain swaps within the amino-terminal halves of hENT1 and rENT1 identified residues 100-231 (incorporating TMs 3-6) of hENT1 as the major site of vasodilator interaction. Since these drugs function as competitive inhibitors of nucleoside transport and NBMPR binding, TMs 3-6 are likely to form part of the substrate-binding site.     

Molybdate doping of networks in epoxy–silica hybrids: Domain structuring and corrosion inhibition

Epoxy–silica hybrids were prepared from a silane-functionalized resin mixture of two diglycidyl ether bis-phenol A oligomers with different molecular weights, using molybdate anions as dopants for the siloxane domains.     

Effects of cross-linking and spacer groups on beta-cyclodextrin bonded liquid chromatographic separation

Mesoporous glass beads and 5 μm silica particles were modified with beta-cyclodextrin ( Β-CD) by means of directly bonding, linking spacer group, and cross-linking agent. The selectivities of the Β-CD modified silica particles were measured by simple column chromatography to separate a model mixture of 1-and 2-hydroxy-naphthalene (naphthols) and ortho, meta, and para-xylene. In the packed column chromatography experiments, two major controlling factors (inclusion complex formation effect and steric hindrance effect of the analytes) on the separations were observed. The elusion orders of the Β-CD directly bonded glass beads were meta-, para-, ortho-xylene and 1-naphthol, 2-naphthol. The phenomena of Β-CD pore blocking and narrowing by spacer groups and cross-linking agent were observed. The spacer group and cross-linking agent decreased inclusion complex formation of 2-naphthol. This paper is dedicated to Professor Hyun-Ku Rhee on the occasion of his retirement from Seoul National University.